Kermit the Sedan: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the benchmark by which many luxury sedans are measured. For decades, now, it has been the proverbial gold standard. While by no means the best car ever made, it does fulfill its duties as a luxury conveyance with impressive consistency. But that doesn’t mean it can’t occasionally let its hair down and have some fun as this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250 project listed here on eBay goes to show us. This is not a factory color, sadly, but I don’t think I’d change it just to appease the perfectionists.

Mercedes did sell the W114/W115 in a shade of green but it was far darker in tone; in fact, it was called Moss Green, and it looked like the forest floor. This is a much livelier shade of green and it seems fitting for a car from the 1970s. It’s impossible to judge the quality from here, but it does say something that the seller has chosen to keep it in the garage. If it were properly refurbished and riding on some attractive and period-correct wheels, it might actually look quite smashing. The chrome bumpers help, and some European-market headlight lenses would be the cherry on top.

While this isn’t quite an E-Class, it is the predecessor, in many ways. It was offered mostly as a sedan, but a handsome pillar-less coupe was also offered. Either configuration is generally available for very reasonable sums today, and the seller is actually including a spare parts car with the sale of this one. At present, the seller is asking $9,500 or best offer, but that seems ambitious – even for two cars. The fact that the bright green paint extends inside the door jambs is encouraging, especially if it means the work was done to a decent quality. It pairs nicely with the black interior.

It doesn’t run at present, but a spare engine and transmission are also included, along with the parts car. Engines were generally inline-six gas units, with the occasional diesel sprinkled in. The six-cylinder generally made around 130 b.h.p. and 147 lb.-ft. of torque, which won’t set your hair on fire. This is a cruiser, for sure, but one that will be pretty easy to live with once it’s running again. The seller may need to reduce his asking slightly to make it compelling for an enthusiast to feel good about dragging this green machine home along with the spare parts and car carcass.